flurries

Both the snow kind and the activity kind!

First off, a big thank you and hello to all my new visitors! Yesterday, the Marta purse was featured on Etsy's front page, as a part of a treasury made by Spongetta. It's such an honor to have my work featured among such beautiful pieces. Unfortunately, I was out for the day and missed seeing it myself! Casey was kind enough to capture it for me, though, and you can view the treasury itself here.

So what between filling orders and finishing this bridesmaid's dress, I've become quite the busy bee! Thankfully I've got a pretty good head start on my own Christmas shopping. Still, my week is pretty packed, and so in case I don't "speak" to you all before then: Merry Christmas!

open for business

It's here! The Felicitous shop is open for business!

Featuring, of course, my cabled bags. I decided to offer just the purse size, since so many people expressed concerns over the sturdiness of a tote (actually, I have a tote that I made for myself and it's held up great - but if a buyer has concerns they won't buy!). I figure if these go over well I'll work on a tote design for the spring.

For the holiday line I've offered four new designs, but there are only a couple of each design available, so take a look!

Thanks so much, all of you, for your encouragement and help throughout this process. I couldn't have done it without you. I'm going to take a good Sabbath-rest tomorrow. Expect me back on Monday with some Christmas links, plus a mini-review of Enchanted! Have a great weekend, all!

*psst*

alternate title for this post: "Yes I am alive."
Much love to you all!

you heard right!

Sorry for the absence, I've been busily knitting away in the anticipation of opening my shop!

Yes, you heard right. I've been scheming and stalling long enough - barring extraneous circumstances, the felicitous shop should be up and running by the holidays! The shop will open with some of my immensely popular cabled bags. I've been working on some new designs to release, while at the same time considering the possibility of offering patterns of these designs, sometime after the new year (thanks for the idea, Casey!). Here's a not-so-sneaky sneak peek:

In the meantime, I have a question for you all. (Nothing like multi-tasking and using your blog for a little market research.) In an ideal world, where you could purchase as many cabled bags as you would like, which would you be more inclined to buy?

• A cabled purse, approx. 10" wide by 11" deep (handles included, bag portion measuring 7 1/2" deep)
• A cabled tote , approx. 10" wide by 16" deep (handles included, bag portion measuring 12 1/2" deep), for a slightly higher price

You can participate either through the poll in the sidebar or by elaborating in the comments section of this post. Thanks everyone, and have a great Friday!

scheming

Thanks everyone for your comments, emails, and phone calls of encouragement! My first day of substitute teaching went well, with very little to report. Each of the two teachers I subbed for had scheduled tests or quizzes for the day. So it was essentially like babysitting, just bigger kids and less to do. Highlights of the day: the student who said she liked my scarf and the young man in the faculty lounge that initiated conversation during lunch.

So what do you do sitting at the front of a classroom for an hour with nothing to do but tell teenagers to be quiet? If you're me, your make lists. And at this time of year, most of my lists involve - Christmas gifts! Here are some links to get you ready for the season:

• Sew, Mama, Sew is hosting Handmade Holidays: 100+ sewing tutorials compiled and presented over the 30 days of November. I've already found ideas for people on my list . . . better start crafting!
• Creature Comforts' Holiday Gift Guide. Her blog is already proof of her excellent taste - now she lets us in on her sources!
• As long as you're making/buying all these handmade items, why not take the Handmade Pledge? (Unfortunately, I'm not taking the pledge myself - there are too many bibliophiles in my family to make that feasible!)

And while we're on the subject of handmade, I'm thinking (hoping?dreaming?deluding?) of opening my own handmade shop by the holidays! I'm going to see how much I get done this week and update you by the end of it! (I may also be asking some opinion polls, so start getting opinionated!)

P.S. I'd like to apologize to my mother, whose favorite holiday is Thanksgiving and who (with me, actually) hates to see the Christmas hype starting earlier and earlier each year. Sorry, Mom.